
<h2>Introduction</h2>

<p><a href="../..">inputEx</a> is a javascript library to <strong>build fields and forms</strong>.<br />It can also be considered as an interface framework, since it provides a good structure to <a href="create_field.html">create you own fields</a>.</p>

<p>It is built on top of the <a href="http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/">YUI library</a>, and we try to keep it as close
	as possible to the YUI philosophy.</p>

<p>It is of course fully skinable using CSS and currently supports Firefox 1.5+, Safari 2.0+, IE 7.0+, Chrome 0.2+ and Opera 9+.</p>

<h2>A unique field library</h2>

	<p>With so many form libraries out there, why would we create another one ?</p>

	<ul>
		<li>HTML fields/forms are <strong>very limited</strong>: no interaction, missing basic features, etc...</li>
		<li>no existing good input library for YUI (let me know if I'm wrong !)</li>
		<li>Implement multiple browsers hacks once and for all</li>
		<li>it's not all about validation !</li>
	</ul>
	
	<p>Here are the features we implemented that makes inputEx unique :</p>
	
	<ul>
		<li><b>json configuration</b> for each field</li>
		<li><b>complex data structures</b> (list/objects/tree/list of urls/objects of objects etc...)</li>
		<li><b>composition</b> between the fields (for "meta"-fields such as CombineField,InPlaceEdit,List,Tree,...)</li>
		<li><b>javascript object mapping</b> for greater interactivity</li>
		<li>a <b>common "updated" event</b> to handle different browsers and different field interactions</li>
	</ul>
	
	<p></p>
	
<h2>No HTML ?</h2>

<p>InputEx uses <strong>no html</strong> (it is the opposite of unobtrusive librairies): all the fields and forms are configured <strong>using <a href="http://json.org/">json</a></strong>, then rendered by <a href="dom_helpers.html">manipulating the DOM</a>.<br /> It is therefore a library to create <strong>javascript web applications, not webpages</strong>.</p>

<p>This approach has a great advantage: adding/modifying a field is made in <b>one place only</b>. Combined with
	the json configuration that can be stored server-side, it makes customization of your web application very easy.</p>

<h2>Help Us</h2>

<p>It is very easy to help us improving the library :</p>

<ul>
	<li><b>Extend the library</b>: send your custom fields to the <a href="http://code.google.com/p/inputex/w/list" target="_new">wiki</a>, it might help others !</li>
	<li><b>Give your feedback</b> on the <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/inputex/" target="_new">forum</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://code.google.com/p/inputex/issues/list">Report</a> any bug</li>
</ul>

<p></p>

<h2>Other resources</h2>

<p>If you didn't find what you were looking for, please visit these websites :</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="examples.html">Examples</a> - many examples for each field</li>
	<li><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/inputex/">Forum</a> - discussions about inputEx</li>
	<li><a href="http://javascript.neyric.com/blog/category/inputex/">Blog</a> - inputEx news</li>
	<li><a href="http://code.google.com/p/inputex/w/list">Wiki</a> - community ressources</li>
	<li>Contact the author: <a href="mailto:inputex@neyric.com">inputex@neyric.com</a></li>
</ul>

<p></p>

<h2>Special Thanks to :</h2>

<p></p>

<ul>
	<li>Maxime R. - <i>for his bug fixing !</i></li>
	<li>Daniel Barreiro (alias Satyam) - <i>for his help with YUI's style</i></li>
	<li>mingfai - <i>for his work on interactions and validations</i></li>
	<li>unomi - <i>for his ideas, bug reports and forum help</i></li>
	<li><a href="http://javascript.neyric.com">neyric</a> - <i>for creating this library</i></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.clicrdv.com">ClicRDV</a> - <i>for open-sourcing this library</i></li>
	<li>And many others - <i>for bug reports</i></li>
</ul>
